[ a morbid fascination that borders on obsession. ]
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 final 16.
Since the world cup started, there has been plenty of buzz around and plenty to talk about. I read that vendors in Germany selling world cup memorabilia has started slashing prices and exhausting their stocks. Its only 12 days! Can't imagine what the rest of the days bring. And they wish the world cup will never end. Hah, me too but mine is pure footballing reasons. Of course they don't want it to end with booming sales and the endless flow of the beer taps.
Oh well, now its entering the last stage of the group matches before the knockout rounds. The usual suspects through; Brasil, Argentina, Holland, Germany, England, Spain and Portugal. Where's Italy? Ecuador is the only nation out of the big 8 to have made it through so far, joining them would most likely be Trinidad & Tobago(if Sweden loses to England), Mexico(if they win, draw or have a superior goal difference over Angola), Australia(most likely, you wouldn't bet on Japan beating Brasil), South Korea and Switzerland(they can do a favour by drawing, thus eliminating France with a superior goal difference, unless France can knock 3 or more past Togo which seems unlikely) and Ukraine.
Why have i left group E out cause its the most interesting and hardest to predict. There are 18 possible diffferent outcomes to the two matches, which might make or break a team's chances. Preferably, i'd want Italy to beat the Czechs, and Ghana to thump the Americans, that would be my ideal result. Due to the inconsistencies of the teams, this time round, let's just watch the match shall we?